Christmas at Tiffany's: Jenison Museum lit up in historical flair
The Jenison Historical Association opened the doors of the Jenison Museum for several hours Saturday to share local history with a holiday twist: The museum is decorated as it might have been when it was first completed at the turn of the 20th century.
JENISON — The Jenison Historical Association opened the doors of the Jenison Museum for several hours Saturday to share local history with a holiday twist: The museum is decorated as it might have been when it was first completed at the turn of the 20th century.
"We are hoping to celebrate Christmas here as it possibly might have been back at the turn of the (20th) century," said Ken Williams, curator and tour guide for the Jenison Historical Association.
The decorations notably don't contain any plastic or electric lights. Many of them are handmade.
"If there were lights, they'd be candles," Williams said.
Even though there are open houses at the museum year-round, Williams said everyone seems to show up for Christmas at the Jenison Museum.
"They seem to all want to see Christmas the way it used to be," he said.
The house the Jenison Museum is in, also known as the Tiffany House was finished in 1902, at a cost of $13,000. It was paid for by Margaret Husband, bookkeeper for the Jenison twins, after their death — with money inherited from their estate.
"These are the two guys who are buried in the mausoleum at the dead end of Eighth Avenue at the Jenison Cemetery," Williams said.
The house was slated to be demolished when the freeway from Grand Rapids to Holland was extended past Chicago Drive in the early 1970s, but the Jenison Historical Association, then the Save-the-Tiffany-House Committee, managed to convince the State Highway Commission to allow the house to become a local landmark and museum.
The West Michigan Community Chorale, directed by Les Rowsey, sang carols and Christmas songs in the front parlor of the Tiffany House. The coal fireplace at the reception area is original woodwork and decorated with candles and wrapped presents much like a home at the turn of the 20th century would have been. [ONN photos/Joshua Vissers]
Learn the whole story by visiting the museum during one of its open houses, or visit the local history room on the lower level of the Georgetown Township Public Library.
The Christmas decorations will stay up for an "encore" on the first Saturday in 2026, Jan. 3.Liz Timmer, chair of the Jenison Historical Association, said the all-volunteer organization is looking for new members.
"We're getting concerned that if we're unable to recruit some new younger members that in another five to 10 years the association will not be around," she said.
— Joshua Vissers covers communities in eastern Ottawa County. Contact him at newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
